You guys who read my fics on here are the real MVPs, honestly. I'm so sorry that I always forget to cross-post to here, but now you get a double update?
This was the first of my end of exams celebration, so there's a few more prompt fills to come in the next few weeks (if I remember to post them here)
Tumblr prompt from clarkeqriffin: "please... don't leave me"
Additional tags: canon complaint, s1, I am become death, hurt/comfort
Everything hurt. Her head was pounding, her back ached and her throat was screaming at her from retching and shouting. The virus that Murphy brought to camp was slowly picking them off one by one and Clarke felt dread creep through her body as she heard the sounds of coughing and retching around her. How many would they lose today? Would there be anyone left to fight the grounders at dawn?
Questions flew around her mind. She needed to distract herself from going down that train of thought. Sighing, Clarke cracked open her eyes and squinted as light hit them. Her sight was still slightly blurry and she felt the room spin as she turned her head, but at least she wasn't throwing up anymore.
When she'd orientated herself and her dizziness stopped, she checked her father's watch – midnight. How long had she been asleep? Clarke started to sit up and Octavia came rushing over.
"Hey, calm down," she instructed as Clarke's head pounded.
"I need to-" Clarke started to reply.
"You need to rest," Octavia said, cutting her off.
"I'm fine," Clarke replied as she looked around at her surroundings. She was on the bottom floor of the dropship; the area where the worst cases of the virus were. Clarke felt her stomach drop. The quarantine was useless, she thought to herself as she looked around at so many of her friends lying around the dropship floor.
Octavia thrust a cup of water at Clarke and she took it with a small nod of thanks. She grimaced as the water washed all the blood from her mouth, leaving a foul taste. She was thankful for the drink, though.
"Where's Finn?" Clarke asked as she set her cup down. Octavia filled Clarke in on the plan to blow up the bridge and Finn leaving with Jasper to find Raven. Clarke nodded in understanding. Clarke made her way out of the makeshift bed with Octavia's help and she started checking on them unconscious people.
She nodded at Murphy as he handed out water to people.
"Hey Clarke," Murphy said as she walked over. "I think Octavia should take a break, she's been helping for a few hours now."
"Yeah," she agreed, with a nod.
"Octavia," she said across the room. Octavia turned her head to look at her questioningly. "Take a break." Octavia opened her mouth, probably to argue, but Clarke raised a brow at her and she shrugged before going up the ladder to the higher floor of the dropship.
Clarke turned back to checking on everyone and that's when a familiar set of curls caught her attention. She'd thought Bellamy had gone with Finn and Jasper to catch up to Raven but here he was on the dropship floor with blood all over his front. He had dried blood around his nose and mouth and his skin looked paler than usual. Clarke's stomach lurched and she hurriedly made her way over towards him in her disorientated state.
Bellamy was awake as she reached him and he heaved a cough as she approached. She quickly turned him onto his side so he didn't choke on blood. She soothingly rubbed his back as he continued to retch onto the floor.
"You're okay," she said as he collapsed back onto the makeshift bed.
Bellamy was murmuring words, most of it was incoherent mumbling. She continued to rub his back just like her mother used to do for her. She wished her mother were here, she'd know what to do and her quarantine would have worked better. Clarke cut those thoughts off quickly, the exodus ship had crashed and Clarke didn't even know if her mother was alive. The camp needed her to stay focused. She snapped her attention back to Bellamy, his eyes were open and his pupils were blown. Clarke wasn't even sure he could see her.
"Bellamy, relax," she instructed. "You need to rest."
He seemed to calm down when he heard her voice. His eyes fluttered closed for a while and Clarke let herself scan his features. His usually tanned skin was almost white, making his freckles appear more pronounced. Patches of dried blood surrounded his mouth and the sight made Clarke feel sick all over again.
It was as if the virus had brought to light the fragility of their mortality. Clarke wasn't sure how many more people she could lose before she broke. First her father, then Wells, Charlotte, and now her mother. The list went on and Clarke's heart plummeted with the knowledge she'd lose more friends before the night was over.
Shoving those thoughts away, Clarke made to get up to get some water for Bellamy. As she shifted to her knees Bellamy's mumbling became more coherent.
"Please…don't leave me," He murmured quietly, reaching out for her. Clarke wasn't even sure he knew what he was saying. He was definitely delirious and he rambled incoherently again. His hand reached wildly and grabbed part of her jacket. She sat back down as Murphy made his way back over.
"Here," Murphy said, handing her a damp cloth.
"Thanks," she said with a small smile. Murphy nodded before returning to the rest of the sick.
"I'm not going anywhere, Bellamy," she said quietly as she touched the cold cloth to his forehead. His hand relaxed and his eyes fluttered closed again. Clarke reached up and brushed some of the curls away from his face as she started to clean some of his own blood from him.
Octavia came down the ladder and scanned the room. Clarke felt her cheeks grow warm as Octavia raised a brow at her. They probably looked quite cosy, she mused; her leg pressed against his torso as she wiped the blood form his face carefully.
Octavia gave her a smirk before walking out of the dropship without saying a word. Clarke's face stayed warm for a while after that.
Dawn came around quicker than Clarke was expecting. When she was happy Bellamy was resting for what was probably the first time since they'd landed, she got up and helped Murphy and Octavia tend to the rest of the sick. Slowly but surely, everyone seemed to be recovering from the virus. Despite this, Clarke's stomach was still in knots. Bellamy still hadn't woken up and from what the people outside could tell, the bridge hadn't blown up yet.
She busied herself cutting up spare blankets and cloth to makes rags for cleaning people but even that couldn't take her mind off everything that seemed to be wrong. With a sigh, she looked back over at the dropship.
Her eyes immediately landed on Bellamy and she felt her heart leap excitedly. He was awake and arguing with Murphy. Typical she thought, biting her lip to stop her smile. She made her way over to them, ready to break up the fight.
"Hey," she said as she approached. "I've got this one."
Murphy shrugged as he stood up and handed her the cup of water. Clarke sat down next to Bellamy and handed him the cup of water.
"You feelin' better?" He asked as she sat down. Her heart swelled at his concern and she gave him a small smile as she nodded.
If two weeks ago someone had said to Clarke she'd be relieved that Bellamy Blake was alive and touched at his concern for her she'd have laughed until her stomach hurt, but here they were. She was glad he was okay and not just because she knew the others listened to him, but because somewhere along the way between arguments and teamwork she'd grown quite fond of Bellamy Blake. She'd even go as far as to call them friends now.
"That's good," he said, snapping her from her thoughts. His voice sounded rough and she urged him to drink the water.
Later, they stood side by side as the boom of the explosion sounded around camp. Raven had done it; the bridge was gone. As the dirt and the smoke mingled with the morning light, Clarke was confronted again with their own mortality, but this time she didn't feel scared, she felt something else entirely. She couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly, but she knew it was powerful.
"I am become Death," she said aloud. "Destroyer of worlds."
She looked beside her to see Bellamy looking at her with an odd look.
"It's Oppenheimer," she explained. "The man who made the first-"
"I know who Oppenheimer is," Bellamy cut her off. Clarke turned her attention back to the growing mushroom cloud and a weird feeling settled in her chest.
Full of surprises she thought with a small smile.
Hope you all liked it! As always, I'm taking prompts over on tumblr (blueshirtbell)!
